Meet the Locals: Kathakali Dancer
This is one of the Meet the Locals series of travel videos I was commissioned to make for Wild Frontiers. The idea was to get a close up and personal with some of the interesting characters you may meet on one of their tours. As soon as I met Venu, it was clear that I was going to make a documentary about him. He is a true disciple to the art of Kathakali and a generous, warm and welcoming person. If you ever find yourself in Cochin, you can seem him performing most nights at the Greenix Theatre.
Wild Frontiers Places: Falaknuma Palace
This is one of the travels videos from the Wild Frontiers Places series. The idea was to find interesting places and tell their story. I was lucky to be granted permission to film at Falaknuma Palace. They even put on a cooking demonstration to show me how biryani, which originates from the Nizam’s kitchens, is made.
Meet the Locals: Spicy Breakfast Queen
Another one in the Meet the Locals travel video series. I was shown an article about Kalimathi in a local paper and decided I wanted to make a video about her. Unannounced, we arrived at her shop at 7am and asked if we could film. Without breaking stride, she welcomed us in, feed us and beamed from ear to ear as we filmed her. I sent a copy of the video to her daughter, who showed it to Kalimathi. It was great that she got to see the video and relayed to me that she thoroughly enjoyed it.
Meet the Locals: Carpathian Cheesemaker
This was the first video I made in the Meet the Locals series. It’s the story of Vasyl, a traditional cheesemaker who lives in the Carpathian Mountains. Over the summer months he lives at the top of a mountain and makes smoked cheese in a traditional way. The cheese is then shared between the cow owners and sold to visiting tourists.
Meet the Locals: Hutsul Wedding Musician
Cruising through the Carpathian Mountains on Saturday morning we happened on a group of traditional Hutsul musicians playing at a wedding. I was Instantly drawn to Dmytro. He had a great energy, a larger than life personality and was clearly a talented musician.
Wild Frontiers Places: Cricova Winery
This video about Cricova winery is the first in the Wild Frontiers Places series of videos. It is the second largest underground wine cellar in the world and is just the quirky, off the beaten track kind of a place that was perfect for the series.